The present invention relates to devices for training receiver dogs, and particularly to a device for training a retriever dog to carry a small animal or bird in its mouth until told to drop it.
In training retrieving dogs for use in hunting, it is necessary to train them not only to find game after it has been injured or killed, but to retrieve on an injured or killed animal or bird by carrying it in its mouth back to the dog's controller. Some dogs also need to be taught to keep their heads down while searching for game and not to toss their heads while carrying the game, and it is necessary to train some dogs not to damage the animal or bird by shaking it unnecessarily as it is being carried. Dogs naturally want to play with an animal, by a shaking or tossing of the dog's head, but such treatment of a small animal or bird can damage the flesh, making it less desirable to eat. Ideally, a retriever dog will quickly locate and gently retrieve an animal or bird which has been shot, and will release it upon the controller's command. Until commanded to drop the animal, bird, or object, however, the retriever should continue to hold it in its mouth.
While some dogs naturally like to retrieve objects, others may be likely to drop objects before they have been brought to the dog's controller. What is needed, then, is a way to teach such dogs to continue to carry an object, and to accustom such dogs to carrying objects in their mouths for longer amounts of time.
Various devices are known for holding an object in or near an animal's mouth, as shown, for example, in Andrew U.S. Pat. No. 2,728,326; Smith U.S. Pat. No. 2,982,249, Swiss Patent No. 126,737, and Cunard U.S. Pat. No. 3,318,069. However, none of the previously known devices are adapted for use in training a dog to carry an object in its mouth until instructed to drop the object.
What is needed, then, is a simple device to use in training a retriever dog to carry a bird or small animal properly without dropping or shaking it.